The use of pyrrolidone and glycols as suitable "solvents" in colorant compositions is well known in the art of ink jet printing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,503 to Hindagolla et al., assigned to Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, Calif., discloses ink jet ink compositions containing one or more solvents in the form of pyrrolidones. Other ink compositions containing glycols as suitable solvents are disclosed in numerous patents including, but not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,705,043; 4,381,946; 4,421,559; 4,853,037; 4,957,533; 4,973,499; 5,196,057; 5,207,824; 5,431,724; 5,560,771; and 5,624,484.
The above-mentioned ink compositions, containing one or more pyrrolidone and/or glycols, result in a hazy or dull color when applied to a number of ink-receiving substrates. Further, the above-described ink compositions possess an undesirable degree of tackiness when applied to a number of ink-receiving substrates. While the above-described ink compositions have a number of desirable properties, such as minimal spreading, smear resistance and waterfastness, the ink compositions still possess many shortcomings.
What is needed in the art is an ink jet ink composition which may be applied to an ink-receiving substrate without resulting in a hazy appearance or a tacky feel.